The fourth Thursday in November is reserved on our national calendar as a day to give thanks. No matter our lot in life, we have more than one reason to give thanks to our God. But for the sake of length, let us look at three reasons why we as children of God should give thanks on and beyond the Thanksgiving holiday.
Honor the Giver
We give thanks because we honor the Giver through appreciation of His gifts. To lack appreciation for a gift is to esteem the gift without value.
An example of this is the story of Esau in Genesis 25:29–34. He sold his birthright to his brother, Jacob, in order to gratify his momentary hunger. The Bible concludes the scene in verse 34 with the verdict, “he despised his birthright.” The tragedy of Esau’s unappreciative attitude reverberates throughout Scripture as the biblical authors repeatedly warn us against carelessly devaluing or abusing the holy things of God bestowed by God as gifts (Matt 22:1–8; Heb 10:29, 12:16–17). However, when we appreciate the gift, we not only properly assess the value of the gift, but we also honor the Giver by perceiving the graciousness and kindness the gift is meant to bestow.
All thanksgiving involves an appreciation of God’s gifts to us.
Everything Is a Gift
We give thanks because all that we have is a gift from God. This foundational truth brings our status and possessions into a proper perspective.
All of us are dependent on God’s gracious gifts.
We are dependent on God for our health, for our intellect, for our wisdom, for our family, for our relationships, for our opportunities, for our accomplishments, for the world and its environment that sustains us, and even for our very lives. All these things and more, God has richly provided. When we allow this truth to guide our eyes from the gift to the hand of the Giver of every good and perfect gift (Jas 1:17), then we can properly boast in His faithfulness.
Though God’s gifts to us are incalculable in number, the Bible counsels us in Psalm 103:2 to “not forget all his benefits towards us.” Thanksgiving is an exercise in remembrance of the various benefits that have come from God’s hands. It helps us to recognize the multivalent blessings we possess on a daily basis. It also helps us to realize that even when one or two areas are not as we wish, we still possess more than we lack. As the song, “Great is Thy Faithfulness” reminds us, “all I have needed, thy hand hast provided.”
The Gift of the Son
We give thanks to God because He has given the greatest gift: His own Son. Our thanksgiving to God is only a response to what God already gave us. John 3:16 reveals to us thatGod gave the gift of His Son, and that Son has given us life (John 5:21, 10:27–28; 1 John 5:12).
One of the Bible’s images for our salvation is that of a gift (Rom 3:24; Eph 2:8–9).
In fact, it is the greatest gift.
It is great in its scope: it is effective for all time and beyond time into eternity (Heb 9:12, 10:11–13).
It is great in its person: God gave us His best–Himself. Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col 2:9).
It is great in its value: The Son is the Holy One of God who lived a totally sinless and blameless life. Thus, His blood is the pure currency needed to redeem sinners like us. As 1 Peter 1:18–19 states, “you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”
Therefore, a gift so great deserves the greatest appreciation. It deserves the greatest response of appreciation because of the greatness of its scope, the greatness of its person, and the greatness of its value. For those who have received this precious and everlasting gift, we should continue to count its benefits. Those who feed off its benefits should continue to boast in its greatness. Those who recognize that it demonstrates the love and graciousness of God should give thanks beyond the fourth Thursday in November and resolve to bless the Lord at all times and speak His praise continually from our mouth! (Ps 34:1)
The reason why we give thanks is because God, our great and eternal Giver, has given us everything we need in Christ (Eph 1:3), His greatest gift.
